Leaderboard

What I still find fascinating is that people know who Putin is and what he does and what he stands for and they still stand by him. But, it is no different than those that know who Trump is, know what he does and still stands by him. I seem to have lost a sense of logic in the world that I can't fathom how I'll ever get it back. Politics is politics the world over but facts are also facts and the way some believe believe lie after lie or forgive lie after lie, is truly unbelievable to me. I have to be missing something.

Ridiculous. Putin intentionally makes it very obvious to everyone that he's the one responsible. I suppose that organized criminal elements can commit murders, but clearly only the FSB, with Putin's instructions, can make the hospital turn off its video cameras at the opportune moment (and stop any investigations into the death). Putin wants everyone to know that those speak against him will be violently killed, with impunity. He also made it very clear that he was responsible for the murder of journalist Ivan Safronov when he had his goons similarly throw him out of a 5th floor window. The fact that Safronov had just returned from the grocery store, that there were groceries and personal effects strewn about the stairway--and that he had his shoes removed and jacket/sweater pulled over his shoulders--made it clear to everyone that the official explanation of suicide couldn't possibly be true. Of course, authorities refused to send an ambulance until after he'd been confirmed dead (he was still alive for 30 minutes after the fall, but the request for an ambulance was denied). Again, only the FSB could have made it clear to emergency services that they couldn't intervene.

After supper at Foodland Patpong, Z and I went into Dreamboys. It was 11 plus and halfway into their show. Fewer customers and fewer guys working as compared to last Friday night. Show about the same. Z enjoyed watching the energetic dance numbers. He sang along to the songs that the ladyboy diva singers sang. He didn't like the erotic cock dancing and big cock show. When macho man in heels appeared, Z was taken aback at first but he enjoyed it as the performance went on. "You want to tip him?" I asked, holding out a 100-baht note. Z said yes and appreciatively handed the tip to macho man in heels on stage. Z recognised and called out to a Dreamboys guy. "He's my friend. He's from Myanmar." He is one of dancers for Sex Bomb dance and he is a good dancer. We watched him dance and I gave Z a 100-baht note to tip him. I can confirm that Myanmar dancer is not just working at Dreamboys purely as a dancer. He is available for off. He has a number on his white shorts and he went on rotation on stage with the other guys. So it seems that Dreamboys doesn't hire only Thai guys. They have guys from the other countries as well. At 12.15am, the coyote dancing began signalling the start of the 3rd show of the night. Only 6 guys dancing compared to 9 guys on Friday. When they ended, 3 guys received 100-baht tips each while the best 3 dancers received 1000-baht garlands each to applause. Z and I left after coyote dancing. I said bye to him. "See you next year, Myanmar boyfriend," I said to him as I hugged him. "See you next year, Singapore boyfriend," he replied.

Day 7 (Monday) - last full day in Bangkok on this one week trip and what a packed schedule. In morning after breakfast, I went to nearby St Louis Catholic Hospital to pass some money to my cha nuoi (godson). His condition had gotten worse since the last I met him and he had to be admitted to hospital for 2 nights. He had asked me to help him pay part of his hospital bill during his discharge and I said no problem. The hospital is just next to St Louis BTS. Modern and clean. Cha nuoi was staying on 20th floor. I knocked on door of his room and went in. A nurse was helping him take off the IV drip. Two of his Vietnamese friends were there as well to take him back home. One of them works at same packing and delivery business while the other was a stunner! He had tattoos on his left arm and was well-built. I had to ask. "You work in bar?" "Yes," he said in very low sexy voice. "Which bar?" "Jupiter." I was half-expecting that answer. I thanked him for looking out for my cha nuoi and then proceeded to ask him for his Line account. "Ok. No problem. My name is Man. You good friend. You help Tiep (cha nuoi's Vietnamese name) long time." "You good friend. Tiep sick and you help him." I swear cha nuoi was rolling his eyes at my shameless flirting. After the nurse finished her task, she left the room and I passed cha nuoi the money. I said my goodbye and wished him quick recovery and of course I also said goodbye to good friend from Jupiter.

See I don't really like people, so meeting new ones doesn't hold a lot of attraction for me. The entertainment doesn't really change much. The ships do the same itineraries over and over. I suppose it's better than a retirement home, but if you require a lot of care the ship isn't going to be equipped to provide it for you. I haven't priced retirement homes but cruises aren't exactly cheap. The doctor on board can handle some emergencies but it's not like your primary care doctor's office. If you're in good health it's fine. But if you need nursing care the cruise line isn't going to help you.

I agree with @floridarob I have been there a tons of times and something like this has never happened to me. (Been robbed at gunpoint three times but never knocked out and robbed). And, yes, I'd still feel safe going there.

Well, I haven't looked at all of the cases, but in these two defenestration cases, they were obviously not suicide--and it's been made very clear they weren't. No one checks into a hospital to commit suicide by jumping out of a window, for one, and the turning off of the security cameras was the other huge clue that the FSB was responsible. The other (journalist) case is even more clear-cut. Obviously, no one goes grocery shopping, then throws his groceries in the stairway, takes off his shoes, pulls up his sweater and jacket above his shoulders, then crashes through a window in his apartment. Any one of those factors rules out a suicide. The refusal of emergency services to intervene was the icing on the cake. The whole point is that Putin wants to make it as clear as possible that these are NOT suicides. He wants everyone to get the message: if you have the public's ear and you speak against me, I will kill you and laugh in your face about it. The goal is to make it quite obvious that these are not suicides, but will be labeled as such. I'm sure Putin gets a good chuckle after all of these deaths.

From @Tomtravel 's post, you obviously didn't get the joke that the locals blame every problem on Spain! 🤣

I am reporting live from LUX now. There are about 5 flat chested GPs, all seem well over 30 years old. And there are 2 customers. I have been here for 15 minutes here and will leave soon.

My plan for the night was Hotmale Beer Bar downstairs, supper at Foodland Patpong with fellow forum member (he would leave Thailand two days later), catch a show at a bar and finally massage at midnight. O, the massage guy, offered to come to my hotel room after he ends work at 12.30am. Of course I said yes. At Hotmale Beer Bar downstairs, it was one of the waiter's birthday and he had invited some friends over for a small celebration with some food at the sofa seats and table. I wished him happy birthday and gave him a tip. Z, my current infatuation, was working at the upstairs bar. News soon spread upwards that "Z's Singapore boyfriend" (a name given by the other waiters) had arrived and Z promptly came down to say hi to me. I told him about my midnight massage so no off to hotel. But how about dinner and watch boy show with me. OK he said. At 10.10pm, we adjourned to Foodland Patpong to meet fellow forum member and his guy for last supper until next year (tentatively middle of year in June).

Who are these people? Internal business pressures turned deadly That leaves a third theory, one that both Taylor and Rutland indicate is far more likely than either a Kremlin-directed campaign of assassinations or a spate of genuine accidents and suicides. Specifically, the recent run of deaths among Russia’s business elite could well be disguised killings — but the killings may be a product of Russia’s tangled political and economic structures, which are newly under pressure from Russia’s war in Ukraine, more than of any specific, overarching agenda. According to Taylor, the deaths could have more to do with “shady business, attempt to cover tracks, attempt to wipe out a competitor, trying to maybe get rid of someone who’s inconvenient at a time when there’s a lot of pressure on state-affiliated companies, especially in the oil and gas sector, but also in the defense sector.” Markus agrees, noting in an email that “there are competing influential clans” within the Russian state “that span state institutions and private or state-owned firms.” “So far these clans have been loyal to Putin, but this loyalty has not reduced their predatory appetites,” Markus told me. “From the clans’ viewpoint, the current situation has led to (1) lower cash flows available for diversion or theft; and (2) less certainty in Putin’s future as the ultimate leader of Russian kleptocracy. Hence, clans may be settling their scores and competing more viciously — which could involve murders in question — without this being a centralized Kremlin effort.” That explanation also makes more sense than the Kremlin-directed conspiracy theory, given the cross section of Russia’s business class that’s turned up dead. Though there are some common linkages — ties to energy companies, for example — some experts, such as Mark Galeotti, the author of the upcoming book Putin’s Wars: From Chechnya to Ukraine, have pointed out that coverage of the deaths can paint with an overly broad brush. “When did the death of the former rector of a technical university become the (implied: mysterious) end of a ‘Putin ally’? (Everyone dying in [Russia] now is elevated to oligarch or ally),” Galeotti tweeted after the death of Geraschenko in September. Significantly, both Taylor and Rutland emphasize that there’s still a great deal of uncertainty around the deaths. However, under the third and, according to them, more likely theory, continued pressure on Russia’s economy could well accelerate the trend. Violence as a way of doing business has been “deeply normalized going back to the 1990s,” Rutland said. “And so as the regime enters what could be its death throes, or certainly it’s under huge pressure, you can imagine that there’s gonna be this — well, it’s not yet a bloodbath, but you can imagine that the faction fighting will get even more desperate.” There are no satisfying answers to be had, at least for now. Recent history supports the idea that such deaths are something Putin would be fully capable of, but he lacks a clear motive that connects them all; as some close Russia watchers have observed, Russia’s cutthroat business culture is at least equally likely to be culpable as a repressive Kremlin. In both cases, there’s a distinct dearth of evidence — but the speculation only underscores the overlapping brutality of Russian business and Putin’s regime. https://www.vox.com/world/2022/10/14/23388516/russian-businessmen-oligarchs-putin-mysterious-deaths-windows

I took BTS back to Sala Daeng. Saw that a new bar was being built next to Hot Male Beer Bar downstairs. It's in pink. Oh dear. Not a girlie bar please. Got some lunch then lazed at pool waiting for Grinder guy. Not just one but two in fact. One Thai guy. Mid 20s. Tall and twinkish. Freelancer just like the Thai guy I met yesterday. My other Grinder initiated session came in late afternoon. 34 years old. Laos. And surprise surprise he works at Super A! He was stopping by at my room for quickie before he reports for work at 6pm. Sex with him was the best among all the guys I met this trip. Experience trumps pretty boy looks, sexy 6-pec abs body and skilful massage skills, I guess.

Blackjack night ended just before midnight and my 4 guests left happy. I had invited Z, my current infatuation to blackjack night, but he was shy and didn't want to go as he didn't know the other guys personally. I sent Z a message on Line: "What time does DJ Station close?" "2" "You want go." "Yes" I rushed off to Hotmale Beer bar downstairs, passed Z a 1000-baht note to pay for his off. Another waiter saw and he looked at me and pointed at himself. "Sure, let's go together!" So no change received and 3 of us were on our way to DJ. No queue to get in but it was packed inside. 300 baht for 2 drinks represent very good value in my opinion, as compared to the 400 to 500 baht charged for one drink in gogo bars. We wandered the different areas in DJ Station but spent most of time at K-pop dance area. Z likes K-pop but he doesn't know the dance moves that the DJ Station regulars were doing. "You learn. I learn. Next time we come here. We dance like them same same," I said to him. Ok he nodded. I hope I don't have regrets! At 1.45am, we decided to leave before the inevitable huge exit crowd at 2am closing time. I thanked and tipped them before we split off and I went back to hotel to sleep after an eventful and fun day. 20231204_003723.mp4

I've been here at least 75+ times, lived here in 2004.....and after the trio I had tonight, would risk it all to come back, lol

As I wind down this visit, a few observations on these shops. First, I would generally reject manger/mamasan recommendations. I’ve accepted them three times over the past few trips and all were disappointing. My advice is to review the offerings on line and decide on a list of your top three. You can choose to reserve via Line or phone (never been asked for deposit on same day request) or simply choose on arrival. If mamasan says “he not work today but how about this one?”, I’d move on to my next choice. If you exhaust all three of your picks, I’d consider using tablet or moving on to another shop. Most shops open at 11a.m. but many of the boys are still sleeping or working other job. I think best time to come is mid afternoon. Your chances of getting your choice in fresh condition are improved. Coming from Saphan Kwai, only One Spa is on left side of road. All others on right are BT House, KK Massage and Home Spa.

Guess I should count myself lucky. I've travelled to more than 70 countries; have never been robbed.

I also doubt that these guys pay taxes, so yes, it's a cash-in-the-dark business. But the micro-merchant/micro-payment movement has really taken off in Brazil, which also used to be all cash. I'm thinking somebody would soon provide such services in Europe and the few European workers would start accepting such payments. I just hope my bank statements won't show things like "54.37USD to ThiagoXXLcum4u"

You are a Portuguese speaker, your situation does not apply to most of us on this board. I think the suites at Lagoa are OK, much better than 117.

The crew is where the fun is, but you need a longer cruise, 14+days to get to know the right ones 😉 I met a Thai kid that slept in my cabin every night and numerous hookups from Filipinos, Indonesians and Mexicans, only 1 Mexican wanted money, but was worth it.

First, define "gay hotel". Some would say the only truly "gay hotel" in Bangkok was the now-defunct Babylon Barracks...

When I am in Latin America, I usually don't walk around outside for an extended period of time. I take Uber if it is more than a 10-15 minutes walk. I don't take public transportation. Uber is so cheap, there is no reason for me to expose myself to a uncomfortable surrounding. I have been robbed in Brazil, so I know I should just bring only the money I need for the walk, I never use the phone on the street and never even hold the phone in my hand on the street. I don't wear any jewelry, don't wear watch. It is tiring to live a life like this, so I just don't go outside much at all while in Latin America. No sight seeing worth the risk of being attacked, in fact, the street scene in most of the Latin America is not pretty anyway, some are down right scary. If I want to see beautiful architecture or urban scenery, I will go to Europe. The one and only reason I visit Latin America is sex with beautiful muscle men.

I feel very much the same! I often thought in part it might be due to getting older and having more time to consider the state of the world. And then I thought about my parents and their generation. Their news was based on daily newspapers, radio news bulletins and later shortish television news bulletins. I remember them discussing a few national issues like the colossal mistake when France and Britain invaded Egypt in a vain attempt to re-take the Suez Canal afer Nasser nationalised it. It helped dethrone a UK Prime Minister and probably eventually a government, but that did not seem to matter so much to them. When relatives and their friends came round, I rarely remember national issues being discussed. I suspect there are are primarily three reasons for the changes since those days. The advance of television and the influence of television news programmes (and the political views of the owners of the stations) on everyone's thinking is onviously one. I can remember the times when the BBC was trusted as almost saintly in the way it reported actual facts. Interviews with politicians were genteel affairs. And if they ever ruffled politicians' feathers, there was hell to pay. One of the BBC's finest reporters and foreign correspondents was James Mossman. One evening he basically lost his BBC cool. There was a famous iive interview with Prime Minister Harold Wilson. He verbally attacked Wilson over his government's backing for President Johnson's stance on the Vietnam War when this appeared at odds with Wison's own philosophy. When Wilson, as was his habit waffled, Mossman would not let up. He kept on and on at Wilson in a manner we are more used to today. Wilson stormed out of the studio furious and made his anger known to the Director General the following day. Mossman was quickly relegated to hosting a new programme about the arts. Unhappy about his demotion and being away from the action of politics and foreign affairs, Mossman went into a depression. As a gay man he had fallen in love with a younger Canadian boyfriend. But he had died in his early 30s of an accidental overdose. Aged 44 Mossman then took his own life. If anyone is interested, there is a fascinating play about Mossman which was premiered at London's National Theatre 15 years ago. Titled The Reporter it was written by Nicholas Wright. The second reason surely is the freedoms that people in power now have to assert their own views however outlandish, wacky, even untrue they may be. Television has mushroomed to include channels to cater for every taste. I'm not sure to what degree they actually influence the views of most, but they certainly reinforce existing views. Thirdly social media has become an amazingly popular way to spread nonsense. Of course, much of its content is perfectly acceptable, but increasingly it seems to be what I call unsocial media. I actually fear for our futures when people like Musk, Trump and others increasingly control what they want us to believe.

As I've posted many times, I can recommend Tarntawan after more than fifty stays there. Its 300m from Patpong. And quiet! I've just booked a room for March via Agoda; £42 pn. Many gay visitors. And many "friends" of gay visitors.

For those who've retired and just want to live a comfortable life, meeting new people but never needing to stay friends with them, cruising has a lot of attraction. It's cheaper than a retirement home, all meals made for you, entertainment every night, the staff take much better care of you, and there is a 24/hr doctor service on board should your health take a turn for the worse. Though of course, things that require a specialist would need to be looked at shoreside.

People have been predicting that for at least 10 years.

Also: Gal. 3:23-25 "However, before the faith arrived, we were being guarded under law, being handed over into custody, looking to the faith that was about to be revealed. 24 So the Law became our guardian leading to Christ, so that we might be declared righteous through faith. 25 But now that the faith has arrived, we are no longer under a guardian."

Well, even Paul himself said (Romans 7:6) "But now we have been delivered from the law, having died to what we were held by, so that we should serve in the newness of the Spirit and not in the oldness of the letter." The New Testament clearly teaches that Christians do not have to follow the old laws of Leviticus. If you read Leviticus, it is absolutely chock-full of laws/edicts that Christians don't follow, so it's a bit crazy to pick one out and say "but you have to follow this one." Not everyone agrees with the translation/interpretation that Paul condemned homosexuality. If he did, though, he was the only apostle to do so, and Jesus Himself certainly did not.

There you go again! You cherry pick from the much longer linked article. Yet you failed (again) to note that the first two possibilities were - Suicide and Accident - Really The long arm of the Kremlin I am surprised that you did not bother to quote the Suicide and Accident paragraphs, for they possibly could fit your theory. Mind you, that starts with these words - According to the experts I spoke with, the sheer volume of accidental deaths and suicides so far is enough to mean that this is unlikely to be the true explanation in every case. It’s not impossible, however; sometimes a suicide is just a suicide and an accident is just an accident, no matter how odd . . . according to Peter Rutland, a Russia expert and professor of government at Wesleyan University, Russia’s system, and perhaps especially its business community, is under substantial pressure due to the war. “These are incredibly stressful times, right?” Rutland said. “Business people have seen their chances to visit Europe frozen, their assets frozen, their yachts seized, the value of the shares in their companies.” Those factors, Rutland told me, could conceivably provoke a spate of suicides. “If businesspeople had loans that were collateralized with those assets, or which required some kind of business income, which has just disappeared because of the sanctions, you can only imagine that that would drive people to suicide,” he said. But, the kicker. He then adds - Of course, that doesn’t account perfectly for the murder-suicides, or the number of fatal accidents. But it’s not impossible that at least some of the deaths are no more than what they seem on the surface. Some!

Lux’s instagram posts make it took like it’s popping. Guessed you can’t trust social media marketing.

If so, Spain should be as corrupt and violent as Latin America now or even worse.

I asked in Colombia, from where this culture of cheating and over playing comes from. I was told its historically imported from Spain! 😀

"Cerro" means "hill " in Spanish and I wonder who named that mountain in the background so poetically? ( read signpost) Photo taken somewhere in Argentinian backwaters.

Probably named after this town in Bavaria.. .

You’ve told us that it’s been years since you’ve been in a gay bar and I take you at your word. I’m just winding down a two-month visit. I visit massage shops in Silom or Saphan Kwai daily. Every evening I’m circulating around Silom and have a pretty good handle on the gay scene for lack of a better phrase. The boys I’ve come to know are not here illegally. They make their regular border runs to keep their passports current. The bar scene has evolved. The biggest change was not the result of lack of business but the sale and redevelopment of Soi Twilight. Many of the bars migrated to Patpong 2 and Soi 4. I believe that the bar owners like the variety the ASEAN boys bring to the table. Certainly the customers do. There is certainly no denying that sites like Grindr have altered the dating scene and will continue to do so. But there’ll always be enough of people like me who want to see the product up close and personal. As for the Army hating the gay scene, I don’t buy it. I spent time in the army and found as many opportunities to meet like-minded people as in civilian life—perhaps even more. Think about it. There were 49-60 young men living in tight quarters and training hard together. No body talked about it but they sure as hell did it. I don’t worry about the elites turning on the gay community. All they want is grandchildren and Thai men can provide those and still engage in other pursuits.

Don't forget the impact of birth-control; on rural families. Large families fuelled the journey to Pattaya; the fifth and sixth child could not be supported at home. Condoms became widely available, in part due to the work of a guy whose name I can't recall....you, know, the one who owned the restaurant called Cabbages and Condoms. A true Thai hero.

Wrong again! The most recent have been in Moscow and prior to that in Venezuela in September this year. Seriously, do facts ever really mean anything to you or do you not realise they can be easily checked most of the time? And when you make errors - e.g that nonsense about Putin speaking about the freedom of gays to live their lives in Russia when in fact as is totally obvious from the YouTube video his words have nothing to do with Russia since he is just mocking the west(!), you never admit that you are merely spreading Kremlin propaganda. I suppose it takes all sorts!

He was the Chairman of Lukoil, like the website says. Jesus Christ, you're like the George Santos of this forum. When you caught in a lie, rather than fess up, you just double-down with another, even more outrageous lie. Believe me, it does not make you look clever. It makes you look like a clown. Maganov was a critic of Putin. Putin can't take any criticism, so the barbarous pussy that Putin is had him murdered.

Seriously? You track your guides when they have clients?!

You should make an open call and ask fellow forum members here! Many of us will be happy to take you around (if we happen to be in Bangkok during your visit!)

I've only done this once, several years ago and it was one of the bar boys. The only reason I hired him for around 3 days (if memory serves me right) was because I've hired him a few times before for one-offs, and we were quite compatible during those sessions. Mind you, he was not a professional tour guide or anything, so for me it was more of having company to visit some of the touristic sites. The rate I paid back then consisted of the bar's off fees + his tips for 3 nights. If you plan to go down this route, both of those rates would depend on which bar you're taking the boy from.

I'm writing this in the afterglow of a 90 minute oil massage at The Paradise Spa in Pattaya. This place goes to number 1 in my rankings, a much needed boost after a couple of disappointing experiences over the last couple of days of which I will share in another post. Not at all cheap, you get what you pay for imho. The facilities are top notch, the best I've encountered in Pattaya.. The rooms are clean with en suite shower (but not a toilet), mirror, stool etc and massage bed. Not the sort with the head hole which I prefer, but comfortable enough with the provided cushion and wide. And the masseur was accomplished and delivered an excellent massage, therapeutic, sensual and erotic in turn keeping me on the edge for almost the entire time. I would almost be afraid of returning again in case it didn't live up the today's experience! Highly recommended

didn't you say you want to open a bar, not caring about profit?

Following Endlessdream's highlighting of this shop, I decided to pay a visit myself. I'm impressed. The facilities are really good. At the time I went (around 6pm) there were four male and eight lady masseurs on duty. I didn't particularly want to choose at this sort of place, so I was pleased to be allocated a really cute guy. I was asked to put on a pair of those tiny disposable pants that really don't have any room for men's appendages, and was thinking this might be too formal a massage shop for anything interesting to happen. But I was pleasantly surprised. If anything, the tiny pants made the whole experience a lot more tantalising. From a massage perspective, it was good, and I got the full time I had paid for. And alongside the therapeutic element my guy made the whole thing highly erotic, allowing mutual touch throughout and building things to a very exciting climax with prostate massage on the way. Highly recommended if, ike me you like a decent massage as part and parcel of the experience.

They may rip off the customer like they did to a friend of mine at a Boyztown go go bar and deliver a boy drink chit for every drink the boys took from the bottle of whisky he purchased.

If you're referring to the pictures of the boys on their website (http://www.ganymedespa.com/), I would say don't rely on them. They're probably old, and those boys are unlikely to be still working there. Ganymede's facebook has not been updated since October 2022, and since Thai businesses have even more difficulty keeping their websites up to date, so those pictures there may be even older. E.g. the guy with the abs and the stars tattooed on his chest? His pic first appeared on Ganymede's facebook in November 2018. Is he still there? Not that I am recommending Ganymede or not recommending them - I have only visited them once and that was in December 2019 - and a single visit is not really much of a basis for me to judge them by. However, I did a report of the session there: Almost written off, then he sat on me

There is another footage of the same incident. Looks like the boys were trying to rob a woman, then a few bystanders intervened and one of them is the victim. Still bad but it is not like the boys seek out to assault the guy and rob him.

First time Trump's ever told the truth.